Day to day Impressions

We have now been in the Kasoa area for 5 days of relaxation. It has given me time to absorb the culture and activities of every day life. Charles has been kind enough to pick us up from the hotel every morning and make sure that we are cared for through dinner each evening. We have spent a good amount of time at his new home, which he is just in the process of completing. The family moved in about a month ago and are still unpacking. Charles says that the entire process of building a house is a 5 to 10 year ordeal. In the first year, you buy the land. In the second year you build the foundation. In the third year you build up to window level, and so forth. Currently they just have to install the septic system and paint the exterior. Of course Charles has many projects in mind and has already started an extensive garden, including popo (papaya), mango, garden eggs (egg plant), cassava and plantains.

It is a good plan to have so much food so close at hand. We have made good use of it on several evenings. One of the most entertaining things for me is to watch Rebecca, Charles' wife, prepare dinner over a charcoal stove out on the porch. She begins almost as soon as she gets home from work and manages to prepare what seems like several meals throughout the evening. So far we have enjoyed peanut soup, palava sauce, and a delicious stew she makes with tomatoes, ginger, onions and tuna. We also eat a lot of plantains and chicken, followed by popo for desert. Last night I watched Becky make the palava sauce, which is a lot like a noncreamy spinach sauce. It is made with smoked fish, which we bought at the market the other day, and it was served over yams.

The children in the family have been another source of enjoyment for us. The other evening Charles' brother Ato brought his girls over for the evening. Anti Aba is 4 and Araba is 6. They are very giggly and silly little girls and you can tell that they are very happy. Kobe is 13 and a bit more reserved, but has been very helpful in showing us around the neighborhood and doing chores around the house. He also has a neighbor friend, named Fi, who has been spending a lot of time at the house while his parents are out during the day. Fi is 9 and a tiny little guy. Seth and I are making friends with him and wish we could take him back to the States with us. He and Kobe have good fun sneaking up on us and playing games. Today the boys found a snake in the yard and caused a frenzy daring each other to get near it.

All in all it has been a fairly quiet week. Yesterday Seth and I ventured out to the local "spot" or bar, for a Star beer. Star is brewed nearby in Kumasi and was a tasty cool lager. Good for a hot day. Drinking is not looked upon highly here, as they are a very religious country, but apparently it is forgiven of obrunis (white men). Today we went to church with Charles. It is certainly a big event and everyone wears their best clothes. It was much like some of the large gospel churches in the Southern States, with a lot of singing and clapping and revelry.

After church we spent some time at home and then Seth and I caught a trotro into Zappo to send some emails. The trotro are large vans that drive up and down the main road taking people from one end of town to another. You just jam yourself in there and hope you don't fall out, but it is better than walking very far in the sun. Walking around town Seth and I are greeted by everyone we pass. Ghanaians are very welcoming people and generally smile and call out a greeting or "Hey Obruni!". One woman, Jenna, who we met in a shop, asked if she could call me her friend and said that Seth and I should come to her party and asked where she could reach us. The children are very curious, though some are a bit tentative. They tend to be torn between curiosity and nerves. Eventually you can generally win them over with a couple familiar words and a big smile. Its been fun.

Tomorrow we leave early for the Volta region, where we will visit the monkey sanctuary and Lake Volta. It will be a long day, but it will be nice to get out of the city.